LB 1525 

C83 ^ 

Copy 1 B 



Primary Reading 
AND Phonics 




HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS 

By CUNDY 



PUBLISHED BY 

J. S. LATTA, Incorporated 

CEDAR FALLS, IOWA 



SUGGESTIONS 

For Teaching 

PRIMARY READING 
and PHONICS 

BY 

J. E. CUNDY 




PER COPY POSTPAID 
30 CENTS 



Copyright by J. S. Latta, Inc., 1919 



13'' 



2-^ 



HO^ 131919 



©CI,A536d33 



AiO 



Introduction 

To teach reading effectively, some systematic plan or method 
must be followed which will give beginners independent control 
of the mechanical processes involved and at the same time give 
them power to interpret the thought of the printed page. 

Vital Defects in ^^ ^^^ P^^^ many elaborate systems or 
M Tf A' methods have been worked out and used in 

M^U ^^ "^ the schools with greater or less success. Most 
Methods ^f these methods have beeri analytic in na- 

ture, analyzing our spoken language into its phonetic elements 
and then drilling on each of these elements in type words. Most 
texts which follow these methods consist largely of disjointed 
sentences, built out of phonetically selected words, as they are 
from day to day developed. 

Recently, experimental psychology has given us new light on 
the reading process. Dr. Edmund Burke Huey, Dr. John Dewey, 
Dr. G. Stanley Hall and many other scientific investigators have 
pointed out vital defects in prevailing systems and have urged 
important changes in our teaching methods, in harmony with the 
new psychology of reading. They call attention to special faults 
in present methods : 

(1) The stress is placed upon the mechanical to the neglect 
of the development of thought power. In the words of Dr. Huey, 
"The actual aim that has guided in the selection and arrangement 
of most of the early reading matter has been to develop the power 
to recognize and call words, making reading a matter of pronounc- 
ing mainly." So we see that by making word mastery the end, 
these methods produce readers of words rather than thoughts. 

(2) The child's interest — his only motive for learning — is 
ignored, since no vital content is provided for him. Dr. Dewey in 
speaking of what he terms the "utter triviality of the contents of 
our school primers and first readers," says, "they lack the essen- 
tial of any well-grounded method, viz : relevancy to the child's 
needs." Any method which ignores interest is extremely waste- 
ful of energy. For interest is the most powerful impelling force ; 
when it is lacking, compulsion must be used, which results in 
too much laborious drill. 

Too Much Oral Compared with Silent Reading. — It is high 
time the teachers of our public schools were recognizing the fact 
that about 95 per cent of the reading done by the reading public 
as well as the pupil in the upper grades is silent reading and that 
for this reason the most of the time should be given to the devel- 
opment of rapid and good thought getting from the printed page 
silently. Too much time has been given to the mechanics of read- 
ing compared to the time given to the real function of the reading 
process — thought getting. 



The educational interests of our country owe a great deal to 
the Iowa Elimination Committee for their splendid treatment of 
the common branches. Their work in reading is so comprehensive 
and good that I have quoted extensively from this report on the 
general treatment of the subject. This report represents the best 
thought of the day and should be carefully applied to our teaching. 

We wish also to acknowledge the courtesy of the Iowa State 
Teachers' College Training School in allowing us to use the out- 
lines on reading and phonics for courses of study and lesson plans. 

Aim of This Booklet 

In preparing this work on Reading and Phonics, no attempt 
has been made to give any particular method or device which the 
author might choose for his own teaching but rather to put before 
the teacher enough material on the general principles of teaching 
reading and phonics, together with somewhat detailed explanation 
of two of the most commonly used methods, to enable the teacher 
to work out or select the plan that she thinks is the best suited to 
herself. 

The suggestions ofifered herein represent some of the best 
modern ideas on the teaching of reading and phonics, and we offer 
them with the idea that they will enable the average teacher to 
better understand the importance of these subjects and how to 
get better results in teaching them. 



Reading 



No other subject receives so much time and attention, espec- 
ially in the primary grades as that of reading- and yet it is quite 
commonly agreed that the subject of language and reading are the 
most poorly taught of all the subjects and at the same time are the 
most important. There are many reasons why this is true, among 
which are a wrong conception of the relative importance of oral 
and silent reading and at the same time not recognizing the fact 
that reading is a thought getting process more than a thought ex- 
pression by the individual. In dealing with the subject of aim, 
oral and silent reading, preparing lesson, diacritics and rate of 
reading, the Iowa Elimination report 1916 reports as follows: 

Aims of Reading 

This committee placed the aims of reading under three heads, 
viz: (1) knowledge, (2) attitude or interest, and (3) skills, and 
gave them in the following detailed manner to show the problem 
of the teacher: 

Knowledge Aim. — It is essential that the individual acquire a 
knowledge of the mechanics of reading and it is equally as essen- 
tial that this work be made incidental particularly in the lower 
grades. The necessary knc^vledge of phonetics can be given w^ith- 
out making it the chief concern of the work of the first two years. 
The work in diacritics need receive no attention until the child be- 
gins to prepare to use the dictionary. The use of the dictionary 
will likely proceed in the regular order — finding the pronunciation 
of words in the third year, meaning of a few selected words in the 
fourth year, and gradually further use for finding synonyms, etc. 
At present, too much of the emphasis in reading is placed upon 
mechanics of reading and this emphasis needs to be changed. 

With the development of the modern reader, illustration has 
come to hold a prominent place. The child should acquire a 
knowledge of the picture as an aid to the interpretation and appre- 
ciation of the thought on the printed page. On the other hand, the 
pupil should be led to realize that imagery or mental pictures are 
an accompaniment of certain reading material such as stories, 
descriptions, etc. From the first the ability of the pupil to image 
the ideas presented must be developed. 

A knowledge of the imaginary, or ideal, found in the folk 
stories, nursery rhymes, fables, history, biography, etc., taught in 
the primary grades, is necessary to the proper development of the 
imagination. Without a knowledge of these the child must live a 
relatively narrow and commonplace existence. On the other hand, 
care must be exercised to prevent over-stimulation of the imagina- 
tion without giving opportunity to realize its appropriate expres- 
sion. 



The pupil should gain through his reading of history, biogra- 
phy, stories of adventure, etc., an acquaintance with the best qual- 
ities of human nature. Knowledge of these qualities — the mental, 
moral, and spiritual traits of a highly civilized people — and an ap- 
preciative attitude towards them will virtually help in developing 
these traits in the individual. 

The elementary school course in reading should aim to give 
some knowledge of the literary forms. Recognition of the funda- 
mental differences between prose and poetry is possible to children 
of the lower grades. This knowledge should be a by-product of a 
sympathetic study of poetry and prose selections which appeal to 
the pupil, rather than an independent aim from set lessons on forms 
of literary expression. Probably of the simpler prose forms the 
eighth grade should find the pupil acquainted with description — 
both scene and character ; while he should know at least the four 
line stanza and possibly the narrative poem. 

Interest, Ideals and Attitude. — The second great aim of read- 
ing is to create on the part of the reader proper interest and ideals. 
Literary study should seek as the major aim : 

(a) Development of a love for the beautiful, and good and the 
inspiring in Nature, Man and God, as revealed and idealized in lit- 
erature. It is here that an opportunity is given for the calling out 
and exercising of the feelings — a time when there shall be a legiti- 
mate occasion for legitimate emotion. 

(b) It should seek the development of appreciation of litera- 
ture itself. Here we have two phases of literary appreciation: (1) 
enjoyment of content tending to modify the reading standards of 
the individual so that what the individual reads is worth while; 
(2) enjoyment of form, tending to establish reading habits that 
what is read has merits because of its form, rhythm, style, struc- 
ture, vocabulary, etc. As illustrations of the second phase, com- 
pare the appreciation of literature as evidenced by readers of the 
cheap, sordid, imaginative stories and such a masterpiece as 
"Treasure Island." 

Skill and Facility. — Skill in silent reading — ability to extract 
thought from the printed page, the ability to interpret and enter 
into the writers' experiences and feelings — constitutes the chief 
problem under this head. Some standards for skill have been es- 
tablished, but they deal only with the rate of reading and repro- 
duction of material read. The Kansas Silent Reading Standards 
are the most readily available, and it is an easy matter to test pu- 
pils for comparison. % 

Skill in the oral expression of what is read has been made the 
chief purpose of elementary reading instruction in the past. The 
standards of oral reading are well established since it is the most 
measurable of the skills embodying fluency, correct expression and 



pronunciation. While oral reading has recognized value, the pres- 
ent tendency is to place the greater emphasis upon silent reading, 
as it is of more evident and more constant service to the individual. 

r\ I J OM M. All sane teachers agree that one phase of the 
Oral and oilent ,. i u u ^ ^ a ■ ^u^ ^o.f 

P 1. readmg work has been neglected m the past 

iveaaing — ^1^^^ ^^ silent reading. The emphasis has 

been placed upon oral reading, not because teachers saw any defi- 
nite relation between the emphasis placed upon it in the school 
and its use in later life, but because it lends itself admirably to 
teaching and testing purposes. The ability of a child to recog- 
nize words and his ability to give oral expression to those words 
are the most easily tested phases of the reading process. The 
teacher is able to tell by his pronunciation whether or not the 
pupil recognizes the word and whether or not he can pronounce 
it. By the fluency of expression and by the inflection of the voice 
of the pupil while reading, the teacher imagines she can tell 
whether or not the pupil understands that which is being read. 
However, the frequent re-reading orally of a passage or selection 
by the pupils or teacher results in the various pupils acquiring 
the same inflections as the teacher, but it does not follow that the 
passage read is understood. 

Authorities tell us that 95 per cent of our reading in later life 
is silent reading. This being the case, the training that the pupil 
receives in his reading class should not be of a type to make him 
an oral reader. Emphasis must be placed upon the silent reading 
of the child, for upon this silent reading ability 
depends the progress of the pupil in school. 
As will be seen from the chart below the 
amount of time to be given to silent reading 
should increase through the grades. During 
the primary grades the practice of oral reading 
should predominate, but according to Dr. Judd 
the rate of oral reading is, in general, exceeded 
by the rate of silent reading in the fourth 
"3 grade. Since the quality of the silent reading 
seems to be better than the oral reading in 
these and succeeding grades, common sense 
indicates that in the fourth to eighth grades 
the amount of time spent in silent reading 
should steadily increase. Even in the primary 
grade a definite attempt should be made to have the pupil do some 
silent reading; otherwise when the fourth grade is reached the 
pupil will have become a confirmed oral reader and his efforts at 
silent reading will result in "lip-reading." Under these circum- 
stances his speed of reading will be that of oral reading, which 
means that he is a slow reader." 



Eighth Ora^/ 


I 

Seve.ith Gyade 


Sixth 


GrLe 


Fifth 


(jTa.de 


?ourty 


\ Grade 


Thlrfi 


Grade 


Se/onc 


Grade 


r/ret 


Grade 



Preparing for 
the Lesson 



The reading lesson is one which too frequently 
both the teacher and pupil approach without ade- 
quate preparation. The pupil in his study period 
has his attention centered on the mechanical phases ; the teacher 
having this sort of a standard does not feel it necessary to make 
a thorough study of the reading lesson because she feels that she 
can usually pronounce the words in the reading lesson and knows 
her broader experience will enable her to criticize the oral reading 
of the pupils as to inflection, pronunciation, phrasing and the like. 
What critical study is made of the thought involved in the read- 
ing lesson is too frequently a by-product of the oral work. The 
reading of a certain passage indicates in a general way the pupil's 
lack of understanding and a question is then asked as to the 
meaning of the passage. In other words, the oral reading has 
preceded interpretation, whereas the order should be reversed. For 
if the reading selection has been well interpreted by the pupil, 
many of the problems of the oral reading will have been solved. 
From "How to Teach the Fundamental Subjects," by Kendall & 
Mirick, the following for the lower grades has been taken : 

The teacher, then, will need to teach the pupils how to set 
themselves tasks. Some of the following suggestions may be 
helpful : 

Make a list: — 

Of new words 

Of the people in the story 

Of words hard to pronounce 

Of words hard to spell 

Of places in the story 

Of birds, flowers, or trees. 
Suggest a different title for the story : — 

Tell how many incidents it contains. 

Compare it with another story, and give reasons for pre- 
ferring one or the other. 

Tell which person you like best, and give reasons. 

It is evident that if the pupil is to make adequate preparation 
for the reading recitation, he must be guided and directed in his 
study period. Furthermore, if the reading recitation is to be 
something more than a "desultory rest period," the teacher her- 
self must have a definitely thought-out plan. She must have a defi- 
nite idea of the purpose of her lesson, of her method of procedure 
and of the content of the selection. 

Dr. C. A. McMurray gives in his Special Methods in Reading 
the following suggestions: "In the assignment of the lesson the 
teacher has a chance to give the children a glimpse of the pleasure 
that awaits them. This should be done briefly. If it is historical, 
locate the time, place and geographical setting. Sometimes it 
pays to spend five or ten minutes in attacking the difficult words. 
Let the class read on and discover words or phrases that puzzle 
them. Let the difficult forms be put on the board and syllabicated 



if necessary. A brief study of synonymous words and phrases 
may be in place." 

"Skill, originality, and teaching-art are much needed in the 
assignment. It is not how much the teacher says, but the sug- 
gestiveness of it, the problems raised, the questions whose ans- 
wers lie in the examination of the lesson." 

"It is a mistake to decline all helpful and suggestive study of 
the next lesson in class, on the ground that it invalidates the self- 
activity of children. Self-activity is not encouraged by requiring 
children to struggle with obstacles they have not the ability to 
surmount." 

c* Li p J* The reading of selections which have not been 

Oigni Keamng studied beforehand, should not be attempted 
except with material ordinarily used for lower grades. It should 
be material which the pupil can readily understand even when 
burdened with the two-fold problem of recognizing the words and 
of giving oral expression to them. 

T\. •■• In past years there has been a distinct tendency on the 
part of primary teachers to give the children consid- 
erable knowledge of diacritics in the first grade. It was thought, 
and is still thought by some, that a knowledge of diacritics is a 
help to the pupil in that it makes him independent of the teacher 
in pronouncing new words. The present prevailing tendency is 
to omit the use of diacritical marks in the first and second grades, 
and with that tendency this report is in hearty accord. Children 
may be told that the vowel i^ long or short but the vowels should 
not be marked since they do not appear in this manner in the read- 
ing text. In subsequent years, beginning with the third and 
fourth grades, a knowledge of diacritics becomes increasingly im- 
portant since the pupil must soon begin the use of the dictionary. 
The replies to a recent questionnaire sent to the cities of Iowa of 
more than 3,000 inhabitants indicate that with but few exceptions 
the primary^ teachers object to the use of diacritical marks in the 
first year. 

Subject Matter for Reading Course 

The reading material which will best realize the aims stated 
must not be selected in a formal or arbitrary manner. The selec- 
tion can not be made — as frequently is done — on the basis of lit- 
erary merit alone. The appeal which the reading material makes 
to the child's interests, its suitability to the psychological age of 
the pupil, its aesthetic value, its moral worth, its literary value, 
and, above all, its social utility — all of these standards must be 
considered in making the selection. The subject matter for the 
instruction in reading should be chosen not only for the attain- 
ment of skill in interpreting what is read, or for the acquisition of 
information, but above all it should be such as will develop a 
stronger interest in the pupil for reading. It must, therefore, ap- 



10 

peal to the child's interest and motive. In fact, the pupil's love 
for reading must be so strong that when he leaves school he will 
want to continue his education through discriminative reading of 
newspapers, magazines and books of all kinds, rather than to con- 
fine himself to the sporting page or the comic sheet of the daily 
newspaper. Even if it were possible to secure this desire to read 
through the use of selections of the best literature we should not 
limit the pupil to this class of material because we also wish to 
interest him in the world of science, commerce, industry, agricul- 
ture, nature, etc. ; in the lives and achievements of great men, 
both present day and past ; in the habits and experiences of other 
peoples ; in stories of great inventions and adventure in current 
events ; indeed, in all that constitutes the complex social world 
in which we live. With such reading material, the work of a pro- 
gressive teacher need not degenerate into a slavish attempt to 
have pupils master the mechanics of reading, or acquire a vast 
fund of information. But with the attainment of these ends 
should come an appreciation of what is read and an ever increas- 
ing interest in the world of affairs. 

It is difficult to make a distinction between reading and lit- 
erature, and it is really unnecessary to do so. The material for 
reading should be selected because of its intrinsic value. It fre- 
quently involves much useful material in science, history, current 
events and, of course, gradually leads to the best type of litera- 
ture in its broadest sense and having for its purpose the implant- 
ing of ideals, acquainting the reader with the experiences and 
emotions of other people — whether real or imaginary ; familiariz- 
ing him with the vocabulary and language of those writings which 
have proved their worth through years of use, and interest him 
in the commercial, industrial, scientific, historical phases of 
society. 

Grade I. — In no grade has there been in recent years such a 
vast change in the reading material as in the first. Formerly 
the desire to give the child ability to pronounce words was so 
strong that the primer was filled with sentences utilizing words 
based on the same phonograms. The plan of feeding a child for 
weeks on material like "A fat cat had a rat," "Tad has a fat rat," 
"A man had a hat," does not meet the approval of teachers in the 
present day. The best of the modern primers eliminate material 
of this character not only because it possesses nothing of interest 
to the child, but because it centers the attention of the pupil solely 
upon the mechanics of reading to the exclusion of the meaning of 
the sentence or paragraph. 

The lists given at the end of this section contain the stories, 
poems and other selections which have been found best to meet 
the requirements suggested above. They include the well-tested 
Mother Goose rhymes, fairy stories, fables, some simple nature 
material, and a large number of simple poems of child life, es- 
pecially those written by Robert Louis Stevenson. 



11 

Th"e teacher must not think, however, that she is to get all 
of her material from books. The blackboard and home made 
charts must be constantly used to supplement the printed book. 
It is here that the teacher can use many of the every day inci- 
dents of child life, especially those v^diich concern her own pupils. 
In this way the reading lesson has an immediate application, 
readily understood by all of the children. 

At all times the teacher should keep in mind the necessity of 
the child understanding and enjoying what he is reading. The 
great difficulty is for the teacher to select such material which is 
interesting and yet give sufficient drill upon certain words in or- 
der to make sure of their recognition by her pupils. It is neces- 
sary that the teacher study the word-lists of many of the primers 
and reading books for the first grade so that she may find stories 
which logically follow one another in that they give an oppor- 
tunity for drill upon the same words. Briefly, she must recognize 
that the most effective drill can be secured by the selection of in- 
teresting story material in which the same words are used over 
and over again. Furthermore, there must be enough of this ma- 
terial supplied to provide sufficient practice in reading. During 
the first year an average class should read from six to ten primers 
and books meeting the standards stated above. 

Grades II and III. — The standards given for the selection of 
material for Grade I do not differ essentially from those governing 
the choice for the second and third grades. Yet the teacher should 
keep in mind that, as the child grows older, his knowledge and ap- 
preciation of the various phases of the social world are constantly 
increasing, and the range of interests covered by the reading ma- 
terial selected must keep pace with the child's interests. 

Most educators agree that the mechanical phases of the read- 
ing process should be fairly well mastered by the close of the third 
year of school. If this requirement is to be met in a satisfactory 
manner then the pupils in each of the second and third grades 
should read five or six supplementary books in addition to the 
basic reader. 

Hosic advocates the teaching in the third grade of one long 
story made up of successive well defined units. As examples of 
these he suggests among others a version of Robinson Crusoe and 
the story of Troy. Other examples will be found in the list printed 
at the end of this section. 

In all of these grades much literature should be presented to 
the children orally by the teacher. In early days, literature was 
developed and was perpetuated in this manner. The oral rendi- 
tion still holds its charm for the adult and to an even greater de- 
gree it appeals to the child. The teacher, then, should strive to 
be an adept in the art of story telling. 



12» 

List by Grades of Selections for Story Telling 

Grade I 

Fairy Tales (for young children) Grimm 

Grade II 

Hiawatha Longfellow 

Nature Myths Holbrook 

Grade III 

Seven Little Sisters Andrews 

Little Lame Prince Craik 

Fables, Folk Stories and Legends Scudder 

Child's Garden of Verses Stevenson 

Fairy Stories and Fables Baldwin 

Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans Eggleston 

Pied Piper of Hamelin Browning 

Big and Little People of Other Lands Shaw 

Legends of the Red Children Pratt 

Grade IV 

Fifty Famous Stories Retold Baldwin 

Robinson Crusoe Defoe 

Fairy Tales Anderson 

Alice in Wonderland Carroll 

Old Greek Stories Baldwin 

Bird's Christmas Carol Wiggin 

Adventures of a Brownie Craik 

Fables Aesop 

Water Babies Kingsley 

Rab and His Friends Brown 

Each and All Andrews 

Thirty Alore Famous Stories Baldwin 

Pinochio Collodi 

Docas, the Indian Boy Anedden 

17^ J Tk k* There are two sides to reading, whether 

l^A f P ^^.0"g*^t oral or silent, the thought side and the 
iMde or Keading f^^-j^ gj^^ while the reading lesson pro- 

per deals with both aspects, attention must be paid to them by 
way of preparation before the lesson begins. Proper vocalization 
should be insisted upon during the phonics lesson ; the quick rec- 
ognition of words should be given before the lesson begins. Be- 
fore setting the children to reading the sentences of the advanced 
lesson, attention should next be centered upon the thought of the 
lesson, thus the atmosphere for an enthusiastic recitation being 
secured. There may be many devices for securing the interest in 
the reading lesson, and there may be many devices for breaking 
up bad habits, but there is only one way to secure good oral ex- 
pression, and that is to induce the children to think the thought, 
to feel it and to want to express it. 

Rate of Reading ^^ most of our schools the tendency is toward 
and Standard a development of slow readers. The object in 

rp view should be to develop rapid readers or 

*^®*^ gleaners of thought from the printed page. 

Too many of us are handicapped by not being able to quickly get 
the thought from papers and books we read from day to day 
after leaving school and recognize to our sorrow the loss of valu- 
able time from the habit of slow reading. 



13 

Spend much time in drilling for speed in silent reading for 
thought. Occasionally devote a period to it, allowing pupils to 
contest in the gleaning of thought for a certain given time, the 
substance to be produced in writing, or to see which can read the 
farthest and give the thought. 

For standard tests, write your state university or your state 
teachers' college. 

Storv Telling ^^^ telling of stories in the grades has a very 
. 1^ p J® definite place and might be carried with much 
m the Lsrades profit to a greater extent than is usual. Stories 
that are to be read in the second grade and that are worthy of con- 
siderable time and study, should be given orally in the first grade. 
This creates an interest that will carry over to motivate the read- 
ing of it in the next grade. Robinson Crusoe well told in the sec- 
ond grade will be read and studied with much greater interest and 
appreciation in the third. It is well for some of the story telling 
in the primary grades to be told with this purpose in view and thus 
make reading a thing looked forward to with pleasure. McMurray 
says : "The oral manner is the true way to let the children delve 
into the rich culture-content of stories and to awaken a taste for 
their beauty and truth." 



Primary Reading 



Reading in the primary or the first three grades is given more 
time and attention than any other subject because it is funda- 
mental to their other school work and general education. Because 
of this great importance attached to primary reading, many meth- 
ods of teaching the subject have been devised, some good, some 
poor, but none that has been recognized as possessing merit 
enough to displace the others. 

Methods 

Methods of teaching primary reading are classified as either 
synthetic or analytic. Synthetic methods begin with the letter or 
sound and build words and sentences while the analytic method 
begins with either the sentence or the word and analyzes it into 
its elementary parts. Among the former are the alphabet, phonic, 
and phonetic methods, and among the latter are the word, sen- 
tence, and story methods. 

While there may be a great deal of importance attached to a 
method, yet there is but one procedure by which a child learns 
and for this reason the thing of most importance is the teacher 
herself, the teacher's personality. The teacher succeeds in teach- 
ing reading not because of the mechanical routine of the method 
she uses but because she puts herself into the method and thereby 
gets life into it. It is quite generally agreed that, while having 
done good service in the past, the synthetic methods are no longer 



14 . 

considered of sufficient merit to justify anyone in teaching read- 
ing by either of them, especially when the knowledge of the an- 
alytical methods is so common. 

Essentials of a ^' ^ "^'^^^^ P°'^^^ °^ <^ontact; reading should 

jy- , iv/l «-k J begin in real content. All synthetic methods 

Modern IVletnod whether alphabet, phonic or phonetic fail in 
this respect. None of these recognize that reading cannot be 
made vital to children unless it begins in their lives, in their needs, 
desires, etc. No child feels any urgent desire to learn letters or 
sounds. They mean nothing to him. All children love a story in 
any form and are at once interested in the reading of it. Modern 
methods of reading begin with some language unit as the word, 
story, or sentence. However, authorities disagree as to which is 
the real language unit of the child but any of these methods may 
be made to conform to the general principles of a good system of 
teaching reading, the essential thing being to so use it as to thor- 
oughly motivate the work. 

2. Reading is an analytical process. The child is shown the 
sentence or word and is taught to recognize this not by the let- 
ters or sounds in it but by its appearance as a whole. 

3. After the mastery of a good stock of words by sight, the 
child should learn the sounds of the symbols that make them up. 
It is also essential that all phonics be an outgrowth of his stock 
of sight words. 

Any method that violates any one of these principles is un- 
pedagogical and will not result in the development of the best 
reading habits. 

Whether you use the word, the sentence, or the story as your 
basis, you will nevertheless use the sentence in teaching it. If 
the word method, then the word is taught by association with ob- 
jects, pictures, etc., and then using it in sentences as a basis for 
teaching other words. If you begin with the sentence you teach 
the sentence and learn the words from the sentence. In begin- 
ning with the story, it simplifies the work by grouping your word 
list for you and by furnishing a strong motive for learning to 
read. This seems to be the method most popular today among 
critics and supervisors. The Eclectic method, however, seems to 
be the one most successful in the hands of the average teacher. It 
is sometimes defined as consisting of the best parts of the various 
methods, adapted to the teacher's work. 

Sentence flapper says that the sentence method is likely to 
^ I J lack system, lack interest, not being related to the 
Metnod child's interests, that it is as uninspirational as the 
word method but without the skillful and careful gradation ; that 
it is but an introductory device and must soon use the phonic 
drills to teach independent word recognition. 



\ 15 

This may be true in the hands of ,the untrained teacher where 
she uses sentences and words in a haphazard way but there is no 
reason why as in the case with any other method, the sentences 
may not be selected from the primer or from an accumulative 

story. 

P 1 . • The Eclectic method, according to Sherman & Reed, is 
iv/r' U J based on the following principles : 
Method I Basis — The word as the most convenient unit for 

beginning. 

2. These words should be grouped into related sentences as 
soon as possible. 

3. Make an immediate connection between the word and 
the idea it represents by use of objects, pictures, etc. 

4. The introduction of phonics after the list of sight words 
is sufficient. 

5. A large use of the child's love of action as dramatization, 
cutting, drawing, etc. 

Procedure — 

1. Motivation — It must be remembered that the first step 
by any method is to create a strong desire in the child to learn to 
read. In the Eclectic method, as in any other method, this is an 
easy matter by the use of the story, interesting pictures, the child's 
interests at home and playground, etc. 

2. Words — Use words that are related to child interests and 
better still, use them in such a way that the words as taught may 
be framed into sentences which in turn are part of some story 
whole. This suggests the idea of taking your primer, an accumu- 
lative story, or reader as the basis for word and sentence selec- 
tion. The idea is to prepare for independent reading as soon as 
possible. Begin by telling a story, or asking questions, or by pre- 
senting the object, or a picture, and writing the word upon the 
board. Write in various places and in various sizes. In like man- 
ner present action words by the use of the idea or action. If we 
begin by the word method then our word list should be some- 
thing as follows : 

1. Names of common objects that can be had in the 
school room. 

2. Names of actions that can be performed in the school 
room. 

3. Words from first pages of the primer. 

4. Parts of the body and building. 

5. Common expressions that must be often used, as 
"the," "to," "an," "I see," etc. 

3. Phonics — Phonics should not be taught until the stock of 
sight words is large enough so that the teacher may present the 
easiest phonograms first. The usual rule is to begin at from six 
to twelve weeks or after from sixty to eighty words have been 
taught. 



16 • 

4. Dramatization — The last Btep in an Eclectijc is to utilize the 
child's love of action in dramatization, cutting, folding, drawing, 
sand table, games, illustrated stories in paper cutting and past- 
ing, etc. 

The McGloskv This method makes the cumulative story the 

»« .1 J basis which delights the child with its 

AC ivyi i-k J rhythm and creates a strong desire on the 

A Mory Method p^^j-t of the child to learn to read, which is the 
first essential. Again, he wants to read the material at hand. 

The manner of teaching primary reading by this method is as 
follows : 

General Outline — 

1. Present the informal story to arouse an interest. 

2. Present the formal story with its rhythmic repetitions, e. 
g., in the story "The Kid That My Father Bought for Two Pieces 
of Money." 

A kid, a kid my father bought 
For two pieces of money. 

A kid, a kid. 
Then came the cat and ate the kid ' 

That my father bought 
For the two pieces of money, etc. 

The kid, the kid. 

3. Repeat the lines frequently until they are well in mind. 

4. Dramatize and recite the piece to keep up the interest 
until memorized. 

5. Suggest the pleasure of reading the story alone and thus 
set up a strong motive for reading the selection alone. 

6. Place first sentence on the board and teach the various 
words by comparison with the same placed on other parts of the 
board and named by the teacher after which the pupil is to find 
it in the sentence and so on. 

Procedure — 

1. WORD RECOGNITION— Under this method word rec- 
ognition is taught : 

a. By position of the word in a known sentence, first, 
second, third, etc. 

b. Comparison of the unknown word with the same 
word in known sentence. 

c. After words are learned, by reading new sentences 
from old words. 

2. PHONICS — Begin phonics after a good stock of words 
are learned. 

The McGlosky method bases its work largely upon cumula- 
tive stories for the first half year teaching three to four during this 
period and without question the story as a basis or motive is the 
most popular idea as a starting point for primary reading in our 
training schools and with special primary teachers. 



17 

Srrint or ^^^^ question as to whether the primary teacher 
p . ^ should begin the teaching of primary reading by the 

rrint ^se of script or print is an old one and one that is 

still asked but after a little consideration it is easily seen that a 
primary teacher cannot use the print first on account of the slow- 
ness and again on account of the fact that pupils should see the 
word as whole. Otherwise it makes little difference. In chang- 
ing from script to print it should be done just previous to the 
time when we desire to put the book into the hands of the pupil 
and can be very easily and quickly done by writing words or sen- 
tences with print underneath, etc. It is a simple matter. 

np . The text book can be used easily after the stock of words 
jj I is large enough and after the class recognize these words 
DOOk jj-, print. This is probably at the end of two to three 
months. However, the new lessons should be introduced from 
the board largely during the first year. 

I Before the end of the first year the child will be 

^ . able to use the book in preparing the very short 

Assignment lessons. Prepare them for this lesson during the 
phonics period. The picture may be used to motivate and to 
illustrate the thought of the lesson. Teach pupils how to study 
by asking them questions or writing the questions on the board 
as a guide for their seat study. 

•yi p*-„f. This should be a study lesson guided by short 

U . . assignments in the form of questions that may be 

Kecitation answered in sentence to be read, e. g. The teacher 

says, "What does the first sentence tell us? Study. When ready 
to tell us, look at me." After the sentences are read separately 
the selection should be studied to be read as a whole. 

Reading Subject Matter for Primary Grades 

PREPARED FOR USE IN IOWA STATE TEACHERS' COLLEGE 
TRAINING SCHOOL 

Grades I.-IV. 

In the first year, literature and reading are not combined. 
Use is made of jingles and stories as found in readers and primers 
because of the thought they contain which helps the children to 
read for thought and recognize words as part of the content. Any- 
one who has made a study of readers and primers will know that 
the subject matter they contain has not been chosen for its liter- 
ary value. Those who appreciate the difficulty first grade children 
have with the mechanical side of reading will recognize that train- 
ing of literary taste cannot be the main purpose in the reading 
work. 

In the second grade the emphasis in reading is still placed 
on the niceties of the mechanics. There is a still a paucity of lit- 
erary merit in the contents of the readers, but by the end of the 
second year children can begin to read for appreciation and en- 



18 • 

joyment, and an effort is made to select when possible such stories 
as are written in good literary style. 

In the third grade the children are less hampered by a lim- 
ited vocabulary. There is an effort to introduce into the reading 
stories for their own sake rather than for the purpose of drill. 

In the fourth grade though the mechanics are still halting, 
such books as Alice in Wonderland, Pinochio, and other simple 
books in the original form can be read and appreciated. 

The work in phonics is given to help the child to become 
independent in reading. For this purpose the following work is 
presented, which is carried through the first two years as new 
material, and is given in the third grade as review. 

Course of Study for Primary Grades 

The method of teaching reading , in the first grade begins 
with sentence work. The children learn to recognize sentences 
taken from familiar rhymes and jingles or experiences they have 
had. Later, groups of words are singled out for recognition and 
finally words themselves. By the middle of the winter term the 
children apply their knowledge of phonics to help them read the 
new words. 

In the second grade the children find their own difficulties in 
their attempts to read from readers. These are made clear by help 
of word drills, word groups and diacritical markings. 

The units of reading are thought groups rather than sen- 
tences. There is need in this grade for the informational type of 
reading, such as description of the process of gathering and boil- 
ing maple sap into syrup, or the report of a trip down town to see 
where buildings used to be when Cedar Falls was first settled. 

In the third and fourth grades more emphasis is placed upon 
silent reading and reading for appreciation and enjoyment. By 
this time the children have become familiar enough with the dic- 
tionary to make use of it in working out the meaning and pronun- 
ciation of difficult words. 

SUBJECT MATTER 

I. Oral Reading. Grade I. 

1. Blackboard work. 
Mother Goose Rhymes. 
Experiences in hand work. 
Experiences in nature study. 
Experiences on special days. 

2. Reading Cards. 

Matching cards with printed rhymes, illustrated with 
those not illustrated. 

3. Primers and Readers. (Until last part of spring term 
when two periods a week are given to silent reading.) 
All of Merrill Primer. 

All of First Reader. 

All of Story Hour Primer. 



) 



19 

All of Story Hour First Reader. 

All of Free and Treadwell Primer. 

All of Mother Goose Primer. 

Elson First Reader. 

Grover Folk Lore Reader. 

Horace Mann First Reader. 

Selected readings from two Nursery Rhyme books 
by Blanche Fisher Wright. 
Grade II. 
Oral and Silent Reading. (Oral twice a week; silent three 
times a week.) 

I. All of Story Hour I. and H. 
Stories of Red Children — Brooks. 

Myths of Red Children. 

Stories of Eskimo Children. 
All of Merrill I. and H. 
All of Progressive H. 
All of Elson n. 
All of Beacon H. 
All of Aldine H. 

Story Hour HI. (some stories.) 

II. Library Reading. 
Fables from Afar — Bryce. 
That's Why Stories — Bryce. 
Stories and Fables — Bryce. 
Fairy Tales — Grimm. 

Stories for Little Folks — Baldwin. 

Bunny Rabbit's Dairy — Blaidsell. 

Ned and Nan in Holland — Olmstead and Grant. 

The Dutch Twins — Perkins. 

III. Stories for Special Days. 
Story of Washington's Boyhood. 
Legend of St. Valentine. 

The First Thanksgiving. 
Stories of Christmas. 
The First Easter Egg. 

(These stories are taken from miscellaneous read- 
ers or any source available, and vary from year to 
year.) 

Grade III. 
Grade HI. Readers. 

Story Hour II. and HI 

Elson Primary School II. and III. 

Art Literature II. 

Progressive Road to Reading II. and III. 

Brownie Tales — Cox. 

Aldine II. and HI. 

Horace Mann II. and HI. 

Merrill 11. and HI. 

Alice in Wonderland. 



20 



Daily Lesson Plans 



To further aid teachers in carrying out the ideas suggested, 
a few illustrative lesson plans are given herewith : 
DAILY PLAN— FOURTH LESSON IN BEGINNING READING. 
20 MINUTES IN LENGTH 
Prepared by Edna B. Lick, Critic in Training, I. S. C. 

The House That Jack Built 

Teacher's Aims — 

1. To adapt the story to the children's limited knowledge 
of reading so that they may feel an incentive for self-di- 
rected effort. 

2. To aid the children in mastering technical difficulties in 
the way of learning to read the story. 

Children's Aims — 

1. To read a story about the pictures they have drawn. 

2. To be able to read to others from their books. 

3. To be able to read "The House That Jack Built" from 
other books. 

Introduction — 

Here are your books in which I have written the story about 
your pictures as you suggested. Would you like to be able to read 
the story yourself? Do you think of someone else who would en- 
joy hearing you read the story? 

BODY 

Method. 
^Vbat does the first picture show? Who 
built this house? This sentence tells these 
two things. 

What does the second picture show? Where 
was the malt? What groups of words can 
you find here that you also found in the first 
sentence? Will you show us one group of 
words that you find, Howard? Show us an- 
other group, Alice. Now can you all read 
t^^e whole sentence? Will you read it to us, 
Kemper? 

What does the first group of words in this 
sentence tell? What did the rat do? Read all 
about the rat. Can you find the words that 
say "ate the malt?" Find them, John. What 
groups of words have you here that are like 
those you have read before? Can you read 
all of this sentence, Marian? 
What happened to the rat? Read the story 
about this last picture. What groups of 
words have you read before? Can you find 
them on another page in your book? 



Matter. 
This is the house 
that Jack built. 

This is the malt 
that lay in the 
house that Jack 
built. 



This is the rat, 
that ate the malt 
that lay in the 
house that Jack 
built. 



This is the cat 
that killed the rat 
that ate the malt 
that lay in the 
house that Jack 
built. 



21 

Conclusion — 

Do you think you could read this story if you had no pictures 
to help you? Would you like to try it tomorrow? Would you be 
able to tell whether the story had been written correctly in your 
book? We shall examine the books tomorrow. 

FIRST GRADE READING LESSON AS TAUGHT FROM 
PRECEDING PLAN 

By Edna B. Lick, I. S. T. C. Training School. 

The children, having shown an interest in pictures about 
"The House That Jack Built" which they had found in Caldecott's 
picture book, were told the complete story. Some of the children 
expressed a desire to draw "The House That Jack Built" on the 
blackboard. They did draw the house and at the teacher's sug- 
gestion were anxious to have a lesson on drawing the malt, the 
cat, and the rat. Some children drew other characters in the 
story. In giving the drawing lesson the teacher had the children 
fold their papers into pamphlet form and place one drawing on 
each page. 

When the drawings were finished the teacher asked. "Do 
you think that anyone who did not know the story of The House 
That Jack Built could tell what these pictures meant?" The 
answer was "No." Then what could we do to make the story 
more clear? The children answered, "We could tell the story or 
we could write it in the book." 

As the children were unable to write the story themselves the 
teacher collected the books and wrote the story for them. 

Upon returning the books to the children she asked, "Would 
you like to be able to read this story yourselves?" The children 
expressed their desire to do so. 

The teacher drew a house on the board and wrote : "This 
is the house," reading it to the children before writing the next 
group of words "that Jack built." Children were then asked if 
they could tell which words said "This is the house" and if they 
could find the name of the boy who built the house? They did so 
readily. 

The teacher then drew a sack of malt and wrote "This is the 
malt." She read this to the children and had them discover the 
likeness in "This is the house" and "This is the malt." Then she 
asked "Where was the malt?" The children answered: "It was 
in the house." The teacher explained that she had not written it 
just this way in their books although it meant the same. She 
wrote "that lay in the house" and read it to the children. Then 
she wrote "that Jack built" and by comparing this group of words 
with the same group in the first sentence the children were able to 
read it independently. 

The next two sentences were developed in the same manner, 
the teacher reading less and the children more as the repetition 
increased. 



22 

In conclusion the teacher suggested that they might not al- 
ways have the pictures to aid them in reading the story and asked 
whether they would like to try reading it without pictures. The 
children were of differing opinions as to whether they could or 
could not do this but were anxious to try it the next day. 

DAILY LESSON PLAN EMPHASIZING SILENT READING- 
THIRD GRADE 

Prepared by Amy F. Arey, Acting Critic Primary Grade I. 
S. T. C. Training School. 

The Camel and the Pig 

(Merrill Second Reader, pp. 7-10.) 

Teacher's Aims — 

1. To help the children to an intelligent enjoyment of the 
story. 

2. To increase the pupil's ability to get the thought. 
What fables have you enjoyed reading? Whose fables were 

all written by Aesop. Here is a fable that was written in India. 
Let us see what kind of a story these people enjoyed. 

Matter Method. 

Page 7, The picture tells you who the story is about. 

I wonder what they are saying to each other. 
Read the story and find out. Here are some 
questions I will ask you after you have read 
it. (Questions written on the blackboard.) 

Part I. What did the camel think he could prove? 

What was the pig going to prove? How did 
the camel show that he believed he was 
right? How did the pig show that he be- 
lieved he was right? 

Part II. How did the camel prove his point? 

Part HI. How did the pig prove his point? DSd the 

camel lose his hump? Why not? Did the 
pig lose his snout? Why not? 

Conclusion — 

What do you think the camel and the pig learned? Would 
you like to read another fable from India? The next story is one. 
Shall we read it tomorrow? 

How to Teach a Poem in the First Grade 

Where the Boats Go By — Stevenson. 

Teacher's Aim — 

I. To develop the appreciation of the poem and to create a 
desire on the part of the pupils to read it. 

II. To teach the poem as a reading lesson. 
Pupil's Aim — 

I. To hear a poem about a little boy sailing boats. 

II. To give his expression of the poem as a reading lesson. 



23 

This poem is about a little boy who lived near a river. One 
of his favorite plays was sailing boats on the river. First he gives 
us a picture of the river. 

"Dark brown is the river, 

Golden is the sand ; 
It flows along forever 

With trees on either hand." 
As he puts his boats into the stream, he sees other things 
floating, green leaves, and water bubbles. 
"Green leaves a floating, 

Castles of the foam, 
Boats of mine a-boating — " 
and then he wonders — 

Where will all come home?" 

He watches and watches as they sail, asking himself that 
question — 

"Where will all come home ?" 
He sees the river moving steadily on — 
"On goes the river 

And out past the mill ; 
Away down the valley, 

Away down the hill." 

Then he thinks that other children like to sail boats on the 
river. He imagines that some children along way ofif may watch 
the river and may find the boats he is sending out on the river. 

"Away down the river, 

A hundred miles or more, 
Other little children 

Shall bring my boats ashore." 

The teacher reads the poem a second time without comment. 

Would you like to read the poem ? Assigns the poem for a 
study. Prepare questions for the board to guide them in their 
study. Have them read and discuss the poem in class. 

In the teaching of any poem that is worth while, it is well 
to give opportunity for all the ways of expressing it that are pos- 
sible in order to fully get the beauty and interpretation of the 
poem and to stimulate a love for it in its beauty, e. g., have them 
work out this poem on the sand table dramatizing as much as 
possible. Have them draw, cut, fold, color and memorize and 
recite the poem. In fact, as long as interest is kept high we can- 
not give too much expression to it. 

The following list of poems for study and memory work in 
the first three grades is given by the Iowa Elimination commit- 
tee. This list may seem short but it is true that too many poems 
are gone over in these grades with too little appreciation and it is 
better to take a few choice pieces and teach them well as to teach 
so many poorly. 



Grade I. 

Good Night and Good Morning Lord Houghton 

Rain R. L. Stevenson 

The Cow R. L. Stevenson 

The Wind R. L. Stevenson 

Bed in Summer R. L. Stevenson 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Jane Taylor 

Little Birdie Tennyson 

Grade II. 

The Fairies Wm. Allingham 

November .' Alice Gary 

Thanksgiving Day Lydia Marie Child 

How the Leaves Come Down Susan Cooledge 

W3mken, Blynken and Nod Eugene Field 

The Duel Eugene Field 

Lady Moon Lord Houghton 

Seven Times One Jean Ingelow 

The Brown Thrush Lucy Larcom 

The Blue Bird Mrs. Emily Huntington Miller 

Daisies Frank Dempster Sherman 

The Swing R. L. Stevenson 

My Shadow R. L. Stevenson 

Grade III. 

Marjorie's Almanac Thos. Bailey Aldrich 

The Tree Bjornstjerne Bjornson 

Norse Lullaby Eugene Field 

A Boy's Song James Hogg 

September Helen Hunt Jackson 

The Owl and the Pussy Cat Edward Lear 

Selections from Hiawatha H. W. Longfellow 

A Visit from St. Nicholas Moore 

America Samuel F. Smith 

Where Go the Boats? R. L. Stevenson 

Sweet and Low Tennyson 

Suggestions 

1. Have your lessons planned a week in advance. Have 
your devices and seat occupation work ready to supplement and 
to aid the regular lesson plans. 

2. Make your recitation periods short rather than long- and 
do not attempt to teach a lesson unless you are prepared and wide 
awake. Make the recitations snappy but not boisterous. 

3. When a child reads with poor expression or fails to get 
the thought, do not ask him to read again until by questioning 
you have led him to correct his errors. 

4. Sight reading should be given frequently, from the board 
for younger classes and from outside books for the more advanced. 
Always use material a grade below the class for sight reading 
and with no new words. 

5. Silent reading should be carefully planned and may occupy 
a few minutes of each recitation, and at times the whole recitation 
period. 



Phonics 



In past years primary teachers over-emphasized the value of 
phonics. Today, most of the progressive teachers advocate the 
beginning of phonic work not earlier than six weeks after the 
child enters the primary grade. At the end of the first year he 
should know the elementary sound values of the letters of the 
alphabet. Since the sound values of letters and of phonograms is 
so important a matter in the sipelling of words, this phase of the 
work should receive emphasis in the second and third grades. 

The following diagram from Kendall & Mirick shows the 
comparative proportion of time which, in their judgment, should 
be devoted to the mechanics of reading, and to mental and emo- 
tional training. 



a — Phonics 

b — Meaning and pronuncia- 
tion of words. 

c — Mental Training — 
Information 
Inspiration 
Enjoyment 



Reasons for ^^^ object of introducing phonics into any 




Teaching 
Phonics 



method of teaching primary reading is to give the 
child a key to his reading work whereby he may 
be independent. The proper teaching of phonics 
enables him to become quite independent of his teacher in the 
preparation of his reading lessons and gives the consciousness of 
power that is another motive for reading as well as a thrill of joy. 
Many primers are constructed purely to fit some special outline for 
teaching phonics. This does not make a good system as it is 
mechanical and lacking in interest. The phonics should be based 
on the reading instead. The final efficiency of a reading method 
is greatly reduced if the power for independent reading is not 
reduced to a habit. 

General Principles in Teaching Phonics 

1. Phonics must be taught as they become necessary, and 
must be an outgrowth of the stock of sight words. 

2. Phonics should not be taken up until the stock of words 
is large enough to permit the teaching of the simpler phonograms 
first. 

/ 



26 

3. Teach the simpler or easier phonograms first. Ward in 
his "Rational Method of Teaching Reading" gives the following 
principles that determine which phonograms should be taught 
early : 

a. Those that are uttered with ease by the children ; m, f, p, 
s, are examples of these while th, wh, r, cannot be included under 
this head. 

b. Those that can be prolonged into words without losing 
their identity. The phonogram ight is compound, but when it is 
sounded in words like light, bright, night, its sound, it, is as clear 
as when it is sounded by itself. But let the reader sound the 
phonogram ar, er, or, first as three separate sounds and then 
speak the words beggar, editor, and singer. The untrained ear 
hardly diflferentiates the sound of begger from beggar or editor 
from editer. Hence er, or, ar, ir, and ur are classed as difficult 
phonograms. 

c. Those that are common to many words of frequent use. The 
phonogram, th, (voiced) is difficult, but must be taught early, be- 
cause the frequency of its use tends to make its correct enuncia- 
tion more simple. 

d. Phonics must be given a separate period if the best work 
is to be accomplished. They are, as a rule, a preparation for the 
reading work of the day. 

Klapper says that phonics must be co-ordinate with the 
thought of the lesson in any reading method for the following 
reasons : 

a. The child must develop a habit of attacking new words 
that occur in his reading. 

b. Ability to recognize these new word-forms is determined 
by a knowledge of phonograms and the sounds they represent. 

c. The correct sound cannot be uttered unless the child 
hears it correctly. A study of phonics must sharpen auditory 
perception and develop greater sensitiveness for correct sound 
through systematic ear training. 

d. A correct sound cannot be uttered unless the child has 
perfect control of the necessary organs of speech. Through 
phonic drills the child learns to use the organs of speech in perfect 
co-ordination. 

e. A systematic and graded study of phonics develops clear 
articulation, correct enunciation, and proper voice control ; with- 
out these the purity of the English language degenerates to the 
careless and vulgar level of the street. 

5. Omit diacritical marks largely the first year. Teach only 
those varying from the general rules of phonics. Teach them in 
the third and fourth year as a preparation for the use of dictionary. 

6. Every phonic lesson should begin with words containing 
the specific phonogram to be taught. The words selected for 
phonic analysis must be known at sight. The sequence of the 
complete lesson is therefore : From sight words to phono- 



27 

gram, from phonogram back to a rich stock of words formed by 
phonic synthesis. 

7. As far as possible phonic drills shall be made a conscious 
goal for the children. They should realize that phonic mastery 
means better speech and independent reading. The attitude which 
the children will then take toward ensuing lessons will dispel 
seeming drudgery, and will guarantee active co-operation and in- 
terest in personal progress. 

8. In blending, place the burden on the child. The test of 
efficiency of the lesson lies in the ability of the child to read new 
words. It is therefore unwise to give undue aid during the syn- 
thetic step. 

9. All results of phonic blends should be real words. Fre- 
quently children should be required to give evidence of ability to 
recognize new words by acting them out, drawing them, or point- 
ing to objects they represent. Thus the phonogram taught was 
ing; sing, ring, etc., should be taught to show recognition. 

10. Recognition of the words of a given family taught 
should be instantaneous and with no lip reading. 

11. Where numbers will permit for convenience and for the 
best results, group the members of the class according to their 
abilities. 

How to Teach a Phonogram 

The question naturally arises as to how can a phonogram be 
taught or the lesson be developed in order to secure the best re- 
sults in a limited time? The following outline is given by Klap- 
per in his "How to Teach Reading" for teaching a phonogram 
taking for illustration, the phonogram ight: 

I. The Teachers' Preparation — The teacher must ask: 

1. Is the phonogram in the correct place in the graded 
series of phonic lessons? 

2. Does the phonic element ight grow out of sight 
words previously taught? 

3. Will the element be useful in later word building and 
will it give the pupil ability to read a long list of 
words independently? 

4. Have all the mechanical details been mastered? 

(a) Is there any doubt about pronunciation? 

(b) Is there any doubt about the position of the 

organs of speech in order to produce the sound 
of ight? 

(c) Is the complete list of words containing the 

phonogram ight ready? 

II. Ear training is the initial exercise of the lesson. The 
children hear the teacher pronounce a number of words contain- 
ing the phonogram ight with exaggerated clearness. The children 
are then called upon individually to sound the words and are criti- 



28 

cised by their teacher and their classmates. The teacher tells a 
story and introduces the words might, sight, right, tight, etc., 
with unusual clearness and then calls on the pupils for individual 
reproductions of these words or sentences. Another procedure is 
to give the children the words might, fight, etc., and ask them 
to think of other words that rhyme with these. Any method that 
will sharpen auditory, perception, make the children sensitive to 
the sound of ight, and give them a good apperceptive stock is an 
excellent preparation for the lesson. 

III. Phonic analysis, which isolates the sound ight is the 
next eflfort of the lesson. This the teacher can accomplish in one 
of two ways : 

1. By exaggerated slowness of utterance, f-f-f-f-it, m-m-m- 
m-it, etc., or (2) by a comparison of the family of ight words. In 
the second procedure the teacher asks the children to listen for a 
similar sound in the following series : Right, tight, sight, fight, etc. 
When the sound of ight is isolated the children are called upon 
individually to utter it with great distinctness. This step ends 
when the children learn the visual symbol ight in both written 
and printed form. 

IV. The synthetic step or the blend is the last step in the 
lesson for the child now learns to read any word whose basal 
phonogram is ight. It is here that the fruits of phonic analysis 
and ear training is reaped, and the child develops independence 
in reading. 

How to Develop a Rule in Phonics 

Whether we teach by the word, sentence, or the story method, 
the first sight words come from these sentences and are the basis 
for his phonic work. From these sight words are selected certain 
stock words. — e. g. words containing short a, short i, etc., and 
that do not have any silent letters are selected for teaching of the 
first rule. The words having short a are first analyzed by means 
of hearing. In this manner the child is able to recognize the sep- 
arate sounds that make up the word. The sounds are at first ex- 
aggerated or separated to make them distinct. The words are 
then written on the board for the children to sound. This is done 
until the child can find the letters representing the several 
sounds. This is done with the other words containing the other 
short vowel sounds until the pupil recognizes these vowel sounds 
when standing alone. He then is told that these letters are vow- 
els and notes that there is but one vowel in the word. He can 
then be told that this sound of the particular letter is short and 
be led to state the rule. The next step is the application of the 
rule. This is done by giving him a list of words first with but one 
of these letters and later a mixed list as mat, hen, sit, etc. These 
words are for drill on the rule and can be taken from any source 
as long as they are real words. 



29 

Phonics Devices 

To facilitate the drill of blending known phonic elements with 
a phonogram to produce a new word, mechanical devices are 
valuable. 

1. An ordinary cardboard. 24 to 30 inches long and 3 inches 
wide has a hole an inch or more from each end. A circular disc 
of cardboard 18 inches in diameter is arranged with a hole in its 
center. Write the letters to be used in blending for new words 
on the edge of the circular disc. Fasten the disc to the cardboard 
strip above so that it will turn freely when suspended from the top 
of the blackboard. Place on the board beside the disc, the phono- 
gram to be used. Turn the disc and ask the pupils for the new 
words. 

2. To familiarize children with long and short sounds of 
vowels in words, make a set of cards, half of them containing 
short sounds and the other half words containing more than one 
vowel, thus showing that the presence of a second vowel in a word 
of one syllable changes the sound from short to long, as cap, cape, 
met, meat, etc. 

3. Pupils may write upon their slates or paper all words in 
the reading lesson containing the letter c. Place those having' 
the soft sound in one column and those with the hard sound in 
another. 

4. After phonograms are studied, pupils may build as many 
words as possible from the proper phonic elements, e. g., in, pin, 
etc. 

5. Let children find words using the letter s, in reading les- 
sons and select those having the natural sound for one column 
and those having the z sound for another column. 

6. Write a list of blend letters on the board as bl, cl, tr, fr, 
fl, etc., and let the children combine with any phonograms they 
know that will make a real word. 

7. Make a list of all the words in the reading lesson that 
have a given sound. 

8. Give each child an envelope containing cards, some of 
which have blend letters and some phonograms which the child- 
ren have learned in class. Let the pupils put these together to 
form words, old or new. 

9. The teacher may, from a list of words on the board or 
from sentences used in class, underline or erase words. Children 
give, as the words are underlined or erased. 

10. Write words on the board and call them fish in a pond, 
apples on a tree, etc., and allow the pupils to race to see who can 
sound and name them first. 

n. Give two children pointers. Allow another to call 
words from a list and the two pupils race by pointing to the right 
words. 



30 

12. The teacher may use flash cards for quick perceptior 
drill. Have a set of cards with the phonograms, words, etc. The 
teacher holds card up to pupils. The one naming or sounding 
correctly first is given the card. This is a game and the one get- 
ting the most cards wins. 

Many devices may be planned for the teacher. The main 
consideration is to make the device relate and use the material of 
the reading lessons and to utilize the children's interests as far as 
possible. The game or contest is good for this as it intensifies the 
interest and attention. 

Outline of Phonics 

Grade 1. 

I. Ear Training. 

a. Words that rhyme — from Nursery Rhymes. 

b. Words that begin with same sound. 

c. Words that have like vowel sounds. 

d. Separating words into sounds. 

e. Blending sounds into words. 

II. Blackboard. 

a. Words beginning with like consonants. 

b. Words ending with like consonants. 

c. Words having like vowel sounds. 

Separation of words into symbols (Consonants and Vow- 
els) representing sounds as sh-ee-p, s-k-i-p. 

e. Combining symbols to make words as : 
Changing tap to cap to rap, etc. 
Changing tap to tack to tam, etc. 
Changing tap to tip to top, etc. 
Changing tap to sap to sip to sit, etc. 

III. Three rules of phonics. 

a. One vowel in a word or syllable not at the last is short, 

b. One vowel in a word or syllable at the last is long. 

c. Two vowels in a word or syllable, the first is long, sec- 
ond silent. 

IV. Phonograms. 

ing, ight, igh, ow, ou, aw, ar, er, ir, ur, or 
th, wh, sh, ch, ck, qu, oy, all, oi. 

Grade II. 

I. Two rules of phonics. 

a. c before i, e, or y is usually soft. 

b. g before i, e, or y is usually soft. 

II. Phonograms. 

tion, cion, sion, eigh, ey, eight, au, ty, ly, ry, sy, 
ang, ong, ung, ble, tie, ful. 

III. Diacritical marks. 

a, a, e, e, i, i, o, o, u, u, y, y, o u, oo, u oo o, are, air, e a, 
n ng, s, c, c, i y e, o a u. 

. Grade III. 
Review as needed, work outlined in Grades I and II. 



31 

List of Words for Drill in Phonics 

In making word lists for phonic drills, take the vowels, a, e, 
i, o. and u, and make phonograms by combining each with the 
next letter in the alphabet with which it regularly combines to 
form words. The first letter that combines with these letters is 
b, making the phonograms ab, eb, ib, ob, ub. The next letters in 
turn through the alphabet are d, g, m, n, etc. 

After the single letters or simple phonograms are used in 
words begin on the compound phonograms and blend in same way. 
The following lists are incomplete but words may be added to 
them as long as the combinations make real words. The teacher 
should complete these lists as needed, and use them for drill upon 
rules taught and to further familiarize children with the phonetic 
elements. Plan reviews from time to time taking words from 
various sources. 



(1) 

— ab 

bab 
cab 




— eb 

web 




— ib 

bib 
fib 




— ob 

bob 
cob 




— ub 
bub 
cub 


(2) 

—ad 

bad 

cad 




ed 

bed 
fed 




—id 

bid 
did 




— od 

cod 
hod 




— ud 

bud 
mud 


(3) 
— ag 

bag 




—eg 
beg 




— ig 
big 




— og 

bog 




— ug 

bug 


(4) 

— am 

ham 




— em 

hem 




— im 

dim 




— om 

Tom 




— um 

gum 


(5) 

— an 

ban 




— en 

Ben 




— in 

bin 




— on 

con 




— un 

bun 


(6) 

— ap 

cap 




— ep 

rep 




— ip 

dip 




—op 

cop 




—up 
cup 


(7) 

— at 

bat 




— et 

bet 




— it 

bit 




— ot 

cot 




— ut 
but 


(8) 
— ax 

lax 


— ex 

vex 


— ix 

fix 


— ox 

box 


(9) 

— ack 

back 


— eck 

beck 


— ick 
Dick 


— ock 
dock 


— uck 
buck 


(10) 

— afr 

raff 


—iff 
riff 


—off 

doff 


— uff 
buff 


(11) 
— ash 

dash 


— esh 

rnesh 


— ish 
dish 


— osh 

bosh 


— ush 

gush 



32 



(12) 










(13) 




—ell 


—ill 


—oil 






— ess - 


-USS O! 


(14) 














— atch 




-etch 


— itch 


—etch 


— Ut« 


(15) 




(16) 


(17) 




(18) 




bl— 


br— 


dr— 


fl— 


fr— 


gl— 


gr— 


blab 


brad 


drab 


flab 


from 


glib 


grab 


(19) 




(20) 




(21) 




(22) 


pl- 


pr— 


si— 


slat 


sh— 




shr — 


plan 


prim 


slab 


slip 


shad 


sham 


shrad 


(23) 


(24) 


(25) 




(26) 


(27) 


(28) 


tr— 


th— 


thr- 


— 


ch— 


cl— 


cr — 


trad 


think 


thrash 


chill 


clad 


crab 


(29) 






(30) 






(31) 


wh — 






— ng 






— nk 


whack 






bang 






bank 



(32) (33) 

Drill on long and silent vowels 

bail drear boat bake bide code cube 



(34) 
— er — 

Bert 


— ir — 

bird 


— ur — 

Burt 


—aw 

caw 


— au — 

faun 


— a — 

ball 


(36) 
— ou — 

bout 


— ow 

bow 


(37) 
— oi — . 
boil 


— oy 
toy 


(38) 
— oo— < — ■ 

soon move 


rude 


(39) 
— oo — 
book 


— o — 

woman 


— u — 

full 




(40) 
cull other 


(41) 
— or — 
cord 


(42) 
1 — ar — 
car 


hard 


(43) 
a — 
alms 


(44) 
— igh— 
bright 


bide 


(45) 
— eigh 
eight 


— a — 

bale 


(46) 
— e — — ny — ry — ^ly 

bey pen ny cur ry on ly 


— ty 

pret ty 


(47) 

ph— f— 

pho no graf fun 


(48) 
— ous 

joy ous 


con — 

con tain 


(49) 
de — — ble 

de light trou ble 


-pie 

cou pie 


(50) 
— tion 




•cion 


— sion 


(51) 
— cious 


-tious 


men tion 


sus p; 


i cion mansion 


pre cious cau 


I tious 






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